A ROOT Awakening: Breathing is Believing: Finding Control Through Your Breath
As a lifelong asthmatic, I intimately understand the discomfort, pain and struggle that comes with limited breathing. I’ve written about it before and want to share a little more about how it’s shaped me. For anyone else who deals with breathing issues or other types of inflammation (arthritis, autoimmune, skin conditions like acne or eczema) or knows someone who struggles, you probably have seen how much of an effect chronic inflammation in any form, can have on a person’s daily routine and
quality of life.
Growing up, I was on four medications that had to be taken twice daily to manage my asthma. Before it became a celebrity trend, I slept with an air purifier in my room every night to avoid waking up in gasps. I had trouble with sleepovers because I would frequently wake up with an asthma attack and would have to be driven home. And sleep-away camp? Forget it. There was no way my lungs could handle the dust and dirt and I wouldn’t be that kid who got taken home the first night in. The fear of physical discomfort extended itself to anxiety over social discomfort. And as we know, emotional stress adds to physical stress and perpetuates the pain-stress cycle.
I’ve had pneumonia four times and each time my breathing diminished to 30% of my lung capacity. I maintained an active lifestyle but always carried at least one inhaler with me at all times because I knew an attack could come on at moment.
Now that I’m older, I look back at that time and realize that aside from the physical discomfort, what I mostly felt was helplessness and that became all I knew. I was disempowered and was never taught that there was anything I could for myself to make the situation better. I was never taught ways to properly breathe nor did I even know there was such a thing. The way I would breath was the way my body decided was most efficient and that meant my inhalers had to pick up the slack.
Later I learned that just because your body adapts to your condition, does not mean it is a long-term solution to a chronic problem. In fact, a dysfunctional breathing pattern can lead to more problems like increased emotional stress, body malalignment and muscle imbalances. Trust me, I know this first hand as I had terrible posture as a kid which I attribute to my dysfunctional breathing pattern (more to come on that in a future post).
It wasn’t until l began a yoga and meditation practice, that I fully started to notice how I was breathing. Although I was paying more attention to my breath, I still didn’t recognize that actively using my chest and neck muscles to breathe was improper. I also did not realize that I was a reverse breather – yes, it’s a thing – meaning my belly would move in on the inhale and extend out on the exhale. Discovering this about myself was a game changer. Finally, I was able to change my habit and feel empowered over my health.
Often, those of us who struggle with a pulmonary condition (ie: asthma, chronic bronchitis, COPD) have air trapped in our lungs due to incomplete exhalations. I’ve worked with a lot of clients who, as a result, have residual air that starts pushing down on the diaphragm, compressing it. Consequently, the diaphragm cannot function properly and becomes weakened, which forces the neck, chest and intercostal muscles (all considered our accessory breathing muscles) to take on a much bigger role in breathing function.
This same exact thing happens when any of us get stressed about something and our “fight-flight” response shifts our breathing pattern. We tend to breathe faster, take short, shallow breaths and overuse the accessory breathing muscles. Again, we are not getting the proper oxygen exchange which can throw off the blood PH balance. Oh, and guess what? The change in breathing pattern can also lead to more stress, anxiety and even pain! Now, if most of us feel stressed most of the time on most days, then that means we are in a dysfunctional breathing pattern most of the time on most days.
Breathing is an incredible body function because it can be both voluntary and involuntary. At any moment, we can take over and consciously control the way we breathe. We can alter our breathing to make it shallow, deep, fast, slow, or we can choose to hold our breath altogether. Belly breathing, otherwise known as diaphragmatic breathing, deep breathing or paced respiration, is a technique that has been used in yoga (and other eastern practices) for thousands of years. However, it wasn’t until the 1970’s when Dr. Herbert Benson published his book on the “relaxation response” did breathing become a phenomenon in the west as a way to improve health.
Benson’s argument was that diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (the anti “fight- flight” response) and with that comes a whole host of benefits including:
- Lower blood pressure and heart rate
- Full oxygen exchange
- Improved immune system function
- Stress management
- Muscle relaxation
- Reduced feelings of anxiety and depression
Belly breathing encourages the diaphragm (our primary breathing muscle) to kick into gear. With this technique, we focus on expanding and contracting the belly with the inhales and exhales and trust me, for those of us who do not breathe like this naturally, it can feel quite strange. But stick with it. Also, this type pf breathing helps to bring the focus and attention inward which is great to promote a mindfulness practice.
Clearly this is a technique from which we can all benefit whether we’re trying to regain control of a chronic condition or just make it through a stressful day. Here are 4 easy steps to how it’s done.
Step 1: Find a comfortable place to lay down or lean back allowing your body to rest on a gentle incline (being on an incline is great for people who have limited breathing).
Step 2: Close your eyes and notice your breath pattern. This is a great place to make mental notes on your everyday breathing pattern. Here are some questions to consider: Are you a chest breather? Reverse breather? Are your breaths quick, short and shallow? Do you feel you’re getting a full oxygen exchange?
Step 3: Place your hands on your belly and feel the rise and fall of the abdomen. Then begin to coordinate your inhales and exhales. Typically, nostril breathing is encouraged (click here to read all about the benefits of nostril breathing), however individual conditions are always considered. On the inhale, breathe in through the nose and feel the belly move in towards the hands. On the exhale, breathe out through the nose and feel the belly fall back towards the spine. Again, if you have a specific pulmonary condition, pursing your lips (like you’re blowing on hot soup) on the exhalation has been shown to be helpful in strengthening the diaphragm.
Step 4: If you feel you are ready to move on, encourage yourself to become more interested in the exhalations. This is typically where we fall short. Don’t forget breathing is more than just letting O2 in, it is also about releasing CO2. Gradually increase the length of the exhales up to twice as long as the inhales. Repeat.
Try this now for 3-5 minutes. Comment below on your experience!
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